This invention relates to a paper sheet feeder for conveying paper money and other papers, provided inside a vending machine, money changing machine or game machine.
In general, a paper money feeder is loaded inside the main bodies of such equipment as vending machines, money changing machines and game machines and the like. The paper money feeder guides paper money inserted through a paper money insertion slot along a paper money feeding route, judge whether the paper money is genuine or counterfeit while guiding that paper money, and guide paper money identified as genuine to a stacker downstream from the paper money feeder.
FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts of a conventional paper money feeder.
This conventional paper money feeder 31 is configured such that it comprises paper money feeding means 4 comprising a motor (not shown) for conveying paper money A inserted through a paper money insertion slot 2a along a roughly inverted U-shaped paper money feeding route 2, a paper money detection sensor 15 placed in the paper money feeding route 2, and control means (not shown) for stopping the drive of the motor after the paper money A has passed the paper money detection sensor 15 and positioning that paper money A in a prescribed position downstream from the paper money detection sensor 15.
Of these components, the paper money feeding means 4 are configured by an endless paper money conveyance belt 5 provided under tension along the paper money feeding route 2, paper money conveyance belt drive means 10 comprising pulleys 6, 7, 8, and 9 that turn and drive that paper money conveyance belt 5, a motor (not shown) for imparting drive force to the paper money conveyance belt drive means 10, and an encoder (not shown) for detecting the drive pulse number for that motor.
Reference numeral 13 is a roller that turns in the opposite direction as the paper money conveyance belt 5, being a reinforcing roller that reinforces the paper money conveying force provided by the paper money conveyance belt 5.
The paper money detection sensor 15 comprises a lever 16 that projects toward the paper money feeding route 2, the back end of which lever 16 is supported by a shaft 17 so that it can freely turn.
At this paper money detection sensor 15, when the leading end of the paper money A passes the lever 16, that leading end of that paper money A presses against the fore end of the lever 16, and causes that fore end of that lever to turn counterclockwise about the shaft 17, wherefore that turning is detected and an ON signal is sent to the control means. When the trailing end of the paper money A passes the lever 16, the fore end of the lever 16 turns clockwise about the shaft 17 and returns to its initial position, wherefore that turning is detected and an OFF signal is sent to the control means.
Meanwhile, a paper money identification sensor 18 that is a paper money detection sensor separate from the paper money detection sensor 15 is provided in the paper money feeding route 2 at the position where the paper money conveyance belt 5 is provided, upstream from the paper money detection sensor 15. This paper money identification sensor 18 is configured by photosensors comprising a light emitting element and a light receiving element.
In the paper money feeding route 2 positioned downstream from the paper money detection sensor 15, furthermore, a stacker 19 is provided for accommodating internally therein the paper money A that is genuine. Between that stacker 19 and the paper money detection sensor 15, a paper return prevention lever 20 is interposed which prevents paper money A accommodated inside the stacker 19 from being taken back into the paper money feeding route 2.
The back end of that paper money return prevention lever 20 is supported so that it can freely turn by a shaft 21 provided in the paper money feeder 31, while the fore end of the paper money return prevention lever 20 is oriented toward the paper money feeding route 2 that is at the upper end of the stacker 19.
In the paper money feeding route 2 positioned downstream from the paper money return prevention lever 20 are provided paper money moving means 22 comprising a pressing part 22a. 
As illustrated in FIG. 8, furthermore, an entry slot sensor 3 is provided in the vicinity of the paper money insertion slot 2a that is upstream from the paper money feeding route 2.
To the control means (not shown), meanwhile, are input paper money A insertion information from the entry slot sensor 3, and paper money A travel position information and paper money A genuine/counterfeit identification information from the paper money identification sensor 18. To these control means, furthermore, are input paper money A travel position information from the paper money detection sensor 15 also, and information relating to the drive pulse number to the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 from the encoder (not shown) of the paper money feeding means 4. Vending machine transaction processing information is also input to the control means.
These control means judge whether the paper money is genuine or counterfeit, based on the input paper money A genuine/counterfeit identification information, and also control the drive of the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 and the drive of the paper money moving means 22 based on the results of that judgment and on various other information.
Next, the operation of this conventional paper money feeder 31 is described with the flowchart given in FIG. 9.
In the standby condition, the control means (not shown) in this conventional paper money feeder 31 will be judging whether or not the entry slot sensor 3 has turned ON (step 201), and, when it is judged that the entry slot sensor 3 has turned ON, those control means judge that paper money A has been inserted from the paper money insert slot 2a and that the leading end of that paper money A has passed the entry slot sensor 3, and drive the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 so that it turns forward (step 202). Thereupon, the pulleys 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the paper money conveyance belt drive means 10 will turn in the clockwise direction and the paper money conveyance belt 5 will also turn in the clockwise direction, wherefore the paper money A will be conveyed upward along the paper money feeding route 2 by the drive force of the paper money conveyance belt 5. When the leading end of that paper money A passes the pulley 6, that paper money A will be conveyed downward along the paper money feeding route 2.
The control means, meanwhile, after driving the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 in step 202, begin determining whether or not the paper money identification sensor 18 has turned ON (step 203) and, when those means judge that that paper money identification sensor has turned ON, thereupon judge that the leading end of the paper money A has reached the paper money identification sensor 18, perform processing to read in identification information for that paper money A by the paper money identification sensor 18 (step 204), and judge whether the paper money A is genuine or counterfeit.
Then, when the control means have judged that the paper money A is genuine, that paper money A is conveyed further downstream in the paper money feeding route 2, maintaining the forward drive on the motor of the paper money feeding means 4, and a judgment is made as to whether or not the paper money identification sensor 18 has turned OFF (step 205).
When the control means judge in this step 205 that the paper money identification sensor 18 has turned OFF, those control means judge that the trailing end of the paper money A has passed the paper money identification sensor 18, stop the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 (step 206), thereby temporarily hold the paper money A in the paper money feeding route 2, and transition to a so-called paper money escrow condition (step 207). In this paper money escrow condition, the leading end of the paper money A has already passed the paper money detection sensor 15, and that paper money detection sensor 15 is turned ON.
Now, when a product purchase button of the vending machine is pressed while in this paper money escrow condition, the control means judge that a normal transaction has been conducted, discharge the product from the vending machine, and transition to a money storage operation that accommodates the paper money A that was being temporarily held (in escrow) in the paper money feeding route 2 into the stacker 19.
More specifically, the control means again drive the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 forward (step 208), make the paper money conveyance belt 5 turn in the clockwise direction, thereby guide the paper money A farther downstream, and begin determining whether or not the paper money detection sensor 15 has turned OFF (step 209). The control means, upon judging in that step 209 that the paper money detection sensor 15 has turned OFF, judge that the trailing end of the paper money A has passed the paper money detection sensor 15, and, after causing the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 to be driven a prescribed number of pulses determined beforehand from the input of an OFF signal output by the paper money detection sensor 15 (YES in step 210), stop the motor (step 211). The number of motor drive pulses is counted by an encoder in the paper money feeding means 4.
Thereupon, the paper money A the trailing end whereof has been detected by the paper money detection sensor 15 is guided into a slit 22b in the paper money moving means 22, and the trailing end of that paper money A stops at a position that is as constant as possible.
Thereupon, the control means, upon driving the pressing part 22a of the paper money moving means 22, are able to guide the paper money A piece by piece to the stacker 19 (step 212), and, thereby, can safely accommodate the paper money A inside the stacker 19.
Furthermore, because the trailing end (upper edge) of the paper money A accommodated inside the stacker 19 in this manner is engaged by the fore end of the paper money return prevention lever 20, it is possible to avoid, to the extent possible, the danger of paper money A that has once been accommodated inside the stacker 19 being pressed against by other paper money A accommodated inside the stacker 19 so that it is pushed out into the paper money feeding route 2 so as to interfere with the operation of accommodating the paper money A conveyed next or cause paper money jamming.
When the control means judge that paper money A is counterfeit, those control means drive the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 in reverse, cause the paper money conveyance belt 5 to turn in the counterclockwise direction by the pulleys 6, 7, 8, and 9 that are the paper money conveyance belt drive means 10, and thereby return the counterfeit bill from the paper money insertion slot 2a. 
When the return button of the vending machine is pressed also, the control means drive the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 in reverse, cause the paper money conveyance belt 5 to turn in the counterclockwise direction, and return the escrowed (temporarily held) paper money A via the paper money insertion slot 2a. 
Now, based on the conventional paper money feeder 31 described in the foregoing, due to environmental changes in temperature, etc., at the installation site of the vending machine or the like comprising the paper money feeder 31, or to fluctuations in the voltage supplied to the motor of the paper money feeding means 4, the load on that motor will fluctuate, and the speed V wherewith that paper money A is conveyed will fluctuate, wherefore, after it has been detected by the paper money identification sensor that the paper money A has passed, even if the motor is stopped after driving it a predetermined prescribed number of pulses, the inertial force of the motor after the drive has stopped will fluctuate. As a result, there have been cases where it is very difficult to stop the trailing end of the paper money A at a determined position.
In a case where a vending machine comprising a paper money feeder 31 has been installed at a high-temperature site, for example, or the voltage supplied to the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 is high voltage (HV), problems have arisen in that, the load on that motor becomes small compared to cases of normal temperature, and the speed V wherewith the paper money A is conveyed becomes fast, wherefore even when that motor is stopped after driving it a predetermined prescribed number of pulses after detecting passage of the paper money A by the paper money detection sensor 15, the inertial force of the motor after the drive thereto has stopped is larger than in cases of normal temperature, so that the trailing end of the paper money A gets sent further downstream than the determined position, as a consequence whereof the upper edge of that paper money A accommodated inside the stacker 19 is pushed out into the paper money feeding route 2 without being engaged by the paper money return prevention lever 20, whereupon it interferes with the operation of accommodating the paper money A conveyed next, or causes paper money jamming.
In a case where a vending machine comprising a paper money feeder 31 has been installed at a low-temperature site, for example, or the voltage supplied to the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 is low voltage (LV), problems have arisen in that, the load on that motor becomes large compared to cases of normal temperature, and the speed V wherewith the paper money A is conveyed becomes slow, wherefore even when that motor is stopped after driving it a predetermined prescribed number of pulses after detecting passage of the paper money A by the paper money detection sensor 15, the inertial force of the motor after the drive thereto has stopped is smaller than in cases of normal temperature, so that the paper money cannot be sent all the way to the determined position (insufficient feed), and the paper money A cannot be definitely accommodated inside the stacker 19.
This problem of not being able to stop the trailing end of the paper money A at a determined position is not limited to paper money feeders that stop the paper money A in a determined position, but also arises similarly in paper sheet feeders (such as coupon conveyors or gift certificate conveyors) that stop other papers (such as coupons or gift certificates, etc.) at a determined position.
An object of the present invention, which was devised in view of the circumstances described in the foregoing, is to provide a paper processing apparatus capable of stopping conveyed paper so that the trailing end thereof is positioned at a determined position, without being influenced either by environmental changes in temperature and the like at the installation site or by variation in the voltage supplied to the motor of the paper money feeding means.
According to the present invention, a paper sheet feeder comprises paper conveying means having a motor, for conveying paper along a paper feeding route; a paper detection sensor provided in the paper feeding route; and control means for stopping drive of the motor after the paper has passed the paper detection sensor and positioning the paper at a prescribed position downstream of the paper detection sensor, wherein the control means are made so as to control drive time of the motor after the paper has passed the paper detection sensor, based on time interval required for the paper to pass through a certain sector of the paper feeding route positioned upstream from the paper detection sensor.